Iran’s most notorious metal band, Confess, have returned with new music. Having fled their home country to escape persecution for their music, Confess penned another anti-religious track, “Phoenix Rises,” criticizing the Iranian regime which threw them in jail, seized their social media pages and bankrupted the band.

We first learned of Confess back in November 2015, when frontman Nikan ‘Siyanor’ Khosravi and DJ / sampler Arash ‘Chemical’ Ilkhani were arrested on charges of blasphemy; advertising against the system; forming an running an illegal underground label; writing anti-religious, atheistic, political and anarchistic lyrics; and interviewing with forbidden radio stations.

Confess feared they were in danger of receiving the death penalty, but as Khosravi explained to Loudwire in an exclusive interview, Confess dodged execution since their lyrics insulted “God” and not the prophet Muhammad by name. Still, both jailed Confess members had to pay $30,000 for bail, with Khosravi’s parents using their home as collateral to raise the funds.

Both Confess members were sentenced to six years in Iranian prison, forcing Khosravi to escape to an undisclosed location in Turkey.

“’Phoenix’ was the first song that I wrote in Iran in 2016, after I made bail and was waiting on that slow ride to the trial that finally gave me six years!” Khosravi says. “The lyrics were written in Turkey and the song was recorded here too, along with the rest of this album, while I was still a refugee!!”

He continues, “I wrote it on the concept of this epic creature, Phoenix — which will be reborn through his ashes — and my whole mind state during these three years. I was gonna make a come back and take my revenge, no matter at what cost! Basically it is a ‘diss track’ to the regime in Iran and religious stuff that made this all happen, and also to anyone (in or out of the music scene) who became happy by hearing us getting into jail, the execution possibility and thought we are dead and gone! But it didn't happen and we came back wilder and stronger. That's why you hear a lot of ‘they’ and ‘you’ in this song!”

“Phoenix Rises” is a vicious cut mixing elements of thrash, groove and death metal. Khosravi’s vocals pierce through the mix in the vein of Max Cavalera or Corey Taylor, delivering furious anger to the forefront of Confess’ newest track.

Today marks the three-year anniversary of Confess’ initial arrest in Iran, so what better day to say “They can not fucking break me” with a brand new song? Listen to “Phoenix Rises” above and stay tuned for info on Confess’ upcoming album. "Phoenix Rises" is also available on iTunes.